Long Canal, Westbury Court Gardens

This view of the Long Canal at Westbury Court Gardens, Gloucestershire, was taken from the Tall Pavilion, a structure built to give a view of the once extensive Dutch-inspired garden in its flat landscape. The original, much larger garden began to be constructed in 1696 and was completed in 1705. It was a fashionable garden style at the time, but one that did not last. Westbury is one of the few remaining examples, and we can see it today only because of the restoration work undertaken by the National Trust.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Westbury Court Gardens

It's understandable that ephemeral items such as clothes are subject to fashion but less comprehensible why that should be the case with gardens. They are, after all, much longer lasting, and a design can take decades to come to maturity. However, garden styles have come and gone and different fashions have prevailed at different times.

In 1712, of fifty eight Gloucestershire country houses illustrated in a book, twenty featured gardens that were variations of the Dutch water garden. Only one of those remains today, Westbury Court Gardens, and that is but a fragment of the original design.It is dominated by two long, straight "canals" and has a Tall Pavilion (1702-3) to allow the concept to be better seen from on high.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100